The local stoplights are timed for maximum inconvenience. If one were to try to make the maximum number of vehicles stop and wait for the maximum amount of time, they couldn't do a better job.
But "progress" i.e. blind devotion to the growth model demands that the population keep increasing and the sprawl keep increasing with it. Where once a person could go from Point A to Point B with no stops, they now have to stop and wait at a dozen lights. Has a wonderful effect on efficiency no?
